Multiple views were expressed following the publication of the Investigation Report on Sri Lanka by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on Wednesday.

Certain factions opine the gravity of the UNHRC report has been softened in the face of the new government of Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the PTI News on Sunday, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Nisha Biswal said Washington has “seen Sri Lanka’s strong intent” to address human rights and pledged to work with the government.

Six years after the end of its bloody civil war, Sri Lanka this week took historic steps to confront its traumatic past-but in the conflict-torn Tamil heartland of Jaffna, people are still searching for justice. Wickremesinghe is confident that the political situation in Sri Lanka is favorable for forging an enduring political solution to the Tamil question.

Although Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena himself may not be completely out of the shadow of a war crimes probe since he was acting defence minister in 2009 under Mahinda Rajapaksa, he has not rejected the United Nations report outright.

Interestingly, it was a US-moved resolution that called for the first time called for an worldwide probe into alleged war crimes and was adopted past year in the 47-member UNHRC. Towards this, Sri Lanka can make a positive contribution by recalling its Army to barracks in the north and returning the land to the Tamils to whom it belongs.

The Sri Lankan government, however, has ruled out any option other than a purely domestic mechanism.

Sirisena, who was a serving government minister during the final stages of the war, promised to co-operate with the United Nations and to promote reconciliation.

Ranil has assured Modi during the talks about the plans for reconciliation and rehabilitation of the Tamil minority. Certain terminology used such as “verification”, is new and intrusive language to be presented in a human rights resolution, especially when the country concerned is engaging with the worldwide community including with the OHCHR.

He said he believes “there will have to be global assistance”, but the extent should be deliberated at the UN Human Rights Council. “People in Jaffna are not aware of what is going on in Geneva, but what they are hoping for is justice”, said local Tamil politician Suresh Premachandran. Its suggestion of a “hybrid” probe is not to be dismissed offhand simply because it runs contrary to the existing laws of Sri Lanka. “My government did not cooperate with this investigation for many reasons”.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, center left, and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier share a light moment as they arrive for their meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, September 22, 2015.